{"id":6796,"date":"2026-06-11T16:43:10","date_gmt":"2026-06-11T16:43:10","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/en\/home\/heros-welcome-for-somali-referee-barred-from-2026-world-cup"},"modified":"2026-06-11T17:17:07","modified_gmt":"2026-06-11T17:17:07","slug":"heros-welcome-for-somali-referee-barred-from-2026-world-cup","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/en\/policy\/heros-welcome-for-somali-referee-barred-from-2026-world-cup","title":{"rendered":"Hero\u2019S Welcome for Somali Referee Barred from 2026 World Cup"},"content":{"rendered":"

Africa-Press. <\/strong> <\/span>Somali referee Omar Artan, who was barred from entering the United States to participate in the 2026 World Cup, returned to Mogadishu to a large public reception, pledging to participate in the next edition of the tournament in 2030.<\/p>\n

Thousands of Somalis gathered at the national stadium in the capital, Mogadishu, to welcome him, chanting, “Victory for Omar.. victory for Somalia,” while fans carried him on their shoulders, waving at them with a smile as the Somali flag draped over his shoulders.<\/p>\n

Artan told reporters earlier upon his arrival at Mogadishu International Airport, amidst crowds waving national flags: “I will be present at the next World Cup, and I will continue to make Somalia proud of me.. despite what happened to me, I am not discouraged.”<\/p>\n

His ban from entering the United States sparked widespread outrage within Somalia.<\/p>\n

Mohamed Said, a government official in Mogadishu, stated during Artan’s reception at the airport: “He has been wronged in a way that hurts everyone who cares about humanity.”<\/p>\n

In an official statement, the Somali Ministry of Foreign Affairs confirmed that it would continue to communicate with relevant partners to obtain further clarifications regarding the case and work to protect the dignity and rights of Somali citizens.<\/p>\n

Artan, who was named the African Football Confederation’s (CAF) Best Male Referee for 2025, was denied entry to the United States on Saturday after arriving at Miami International Airport.<\/p>\n

An official from the U.S. State Department told a local source that the referee “is linked to individuals suspected of belonging to a banned organization,” which renders the traveler ineligible for entry into the United States.<\/p>\n

FIFA also confirmed that Omar Artan would not be part of the officiating crew for the World Cup.<\/p>\n

His selection among a list of 52 referees to officiate matches in the tournament in the United States, Canada, and Mexico was a significant source of pride for Somalis, as he was the first referee from the country to reach this level in the history of global football.<\/p>\n

The government called on citizens to gather at the national stadium in Mogadishu to express their support. By evening, the stands were filled with thousands of Somalis dressed in blue and white, the colors of the national flag, applauding enthusiastically while chanting Artan’s name.<\/p>\n

Issa Aden Abshir, senior advisor to the Somali Ministry of Sports, stated: “We share with referee Omar the pain and frustration he felt due to the difficulties he faced.”<\/p>\n

For his part, national referee Sid Ali noted that the incident left a deep impact on the Somali sports community, adding: “There is nothing in Omar’s professional record that justifies his ban from performing his duties.”<\/p>\n

Citizen Mustafa Mahad described the U.S. decision as “unfair,” noting that he attended the stadium to show his support for the Somali referee.<\/p>\n

While expressing gratitude to FIFA for its support, he conveyed a sentiment shared by many Somalis, saying: “Many of us feel that more could have been done.”<\/p>\n

In this context, the Director-General of the World Health Organization, Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, expressed his support for the Somali referee following his ban from entering the United States before the World Cup.<\/p>\n

Tedros stated in a post on a social media platform: “Omar Artan did not just reach the World Cup; he made history as the first Somali referee to reach this level and the best referee in Africa. This achievement will remain regardless of what happens.”<\/p>\n

He added that Artan reached the highest levels of success in his profession and inspired an entire generation of Somali youth.<\/p>\n

Addressing the Somali referee, he said: “I am saddened by what happened to you, Omar. You reached the pinnacle of your career and inspired a whole generation in your country, and not allowing you to be in the field you deserved does not change this achievement.”<\/p>\n

Tedros expressed confidence that Artan would continue to officiate major tournaments in the future, adding: “This is not the end of your story on the global stage. The world stands with you as one family, wishing you resilience and success in many upcoming finals. All solidarity with you.”<\/p>\n

Artan was set to become the first Somali referee to officiate matches in the World Cup finals.<\/p>\n

This issue arises amid a decision issued by the U.S. President Donald Trump on June 4, 2025, imposing a complete ban on the entry of Somali citizens into the United States.<\/p>\n

The decision stated: “The entry of Somali citizens into the United States is fully suspended, whether as immigrants or non-immigrants.”<\/p>\n

This decision has reignited the debate on the impact of U.S. immigration policies on participants in international sporting events, especially with the United States hosting a significant portion of the 2026 World Cup.<\/p>\n

Artan to Officiate UEFA Super Cup<\/b><\/p>\n

The European football governing body UEFA has selected Somali referee Omar Artan, who was barred from entering the United States ahead of the 2026 World Cup, to officiate the UEFA Super Cup match, as announced by the football body on Thursday.<\/p>\n

UEFA stated in a statement: “Following consultations with the brotherly African Football Confederation (CAF), UEFA has decided today to appoint Somali referee Omar Artan to officiate the UEFA Super Cup match 2026.”<\/p>\n

The match, which will feature French club Paris Saint-Germain, the Champions League winner, and English club Aston Villa, the Europa League champion, is scheduled to take place on August 12 in Salzburg, Austria.<\/p>\n

UEFA President Aleksander Ceferin praised Artan, describing him as “a young and distinguished referee, but with significant experience, who has proven his competence at the highest levels of competitions under the African Football Confederation.”<\/p>\n

Ceferin added, “Football exists to bring people together, and UEFA wants to show its respect for Omar Artan and his exceptional refereeing skills that qualified him for this prestigious assignment.”<\/p>\n

UEFA clarified that Artan’s appointment is part of a cooperation agreement with CAF aimed at enhancing partnership and collaboration between the two federations.<\/p>\n

The European body noted in its statement that “UEFA and CAF share a commitment to developing football at all levels and promoting the core values of unity, equality, and non-discrimination.”<\/p>\n

For his part, CAF President Patrice Motsepe affirmed that Artan “has made Somalia and the entire African continent feel a great sense of pride.”<\/p>\n

He added, “His winning of the Best African Referee award for 2025 and his selection among the referees for the 2026 World Cup reflect his global refereeing abilities and the international standing he enjoys.”<\/p>\n

He considered that his appointment to officiate the UEFA Super Cup match is “a great honor for Omar Artan and for African referees, as well as a wonderful example of football’s ability to bring and unite people in Africa, Europe, and the world.”<\/p>\n

Find more news and analyses on Africa<\/span> on the Africa Press<\/span> website<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Africa-Press. Somali referee Omar Artan, who was barred from entering the United States to participate in the 2026 World Cup, returned to Mogadishu to a large public reception, pledging to participate in the next edition of the tournament in 2030. Thousands of Somalis gathered at the national stadium in the capital, Mogadishu, to welcome him, […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":84,"featured_media":6794,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[40,79],"tags":[120],"class_list":{"0":"post-6796","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-policy","8":"category-sport","9":"tag-africa"},"yoast_head":"\nHero\u2019S Welcome for Somali Referee Barred from 2026 World Cup - Africa Press English<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"Somali referee Omar Artan, who was barred from entering the United States to participate in the 2026\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/en\/policy\/heros-welcome-for-somali-referee-barred-from-2026-world-cup\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Hero\u2019S Welcome for Somali Referee Barred from 2026 World Cup\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"Somali referee Omar Artan, who was barred from entering the United States to participate in the 2026\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/en\/policy\/heros-welcome-for-somali-referee-barred-from-2026-world-cup\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"Africa Press English\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2026-06-11T16:43:10+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:modified_time\" content=\"2026-06-11T17:17:07+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:image\" content=\"https:\/\/static.africa-press.net\/africa-home\/sites\/69\/2026\/06\/sm_1781198146.092771.jpg\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:width\" content=\"1280\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:height\" content=\"720\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:type\" content=\"image\/jpeg\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"cfeditoren\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Written by\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"cfeditoren\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:label2\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data2\" content=\"6 minutes\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\/\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"Article\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/en\/policy\/heros-welcome-for-somali-referee-barred-from-2026-world-cup#article\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/en\/policy\/heros-welcome-for-somali-referee-barred-from-2026-world-cup\"},\"author\":{\"name\":\"cfeditoren\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/en\/#\/schema\/person\/068c7ab4e9634ae78ec5d54ec46598bb\"},\"headline\":\"Hero\u2019S Welcome for Somali Referee Barred from 2026 World Cup\",\"datePublished\":\"2026-06-11T16:43:10+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2026-06-11T17:17:07+00:00\",\"mainEntityOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/en\/policy\/heros-welcome-for-somali-referee-barred-from-2026-world-cup\"},\"wordCount\":1138,\"commentCount\":0,\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/en\/policy\/heros-welcome-for-somali-referee-barred-from-2026-world-cup#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\/\/static.africa-press.net\/africa-home\/sites\/69\/2026\/06\/sm_1781198146.092771.jpg\",\"keywords\":[\"Africa\"],\"articleSection\":[\"Policy\",\"Sport\"],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"CommentAction\",\"name\":\"Comment\",\"target\":[\"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/en\/policy\/heros-welcome-for-somali-referee-barred-from-2026-world-cup#respond\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/en\/policy\/heros-welcome-for-somali-referee-barred-from-2026-world-cup\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/en\/policy\/heros-welcome-for-somali-referee-barred-from-2026-world-cup\",\"name\":\"Hero\u2019S Welcome for Somali Referee Barred from 2026 World Cup - Africa Press English\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/en\/#website\"},\"primaryImageOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/en\/policy\/heros-welcome-for-somali-referee-barred-from-2026-world-cup#primaryimage\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/en\/policy\/heros-welcome-for-somali-referee-barred-from-2026-world-cup#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\/\/static.africa-press.net\/africa-home\/sites\/69\/2026\/06\/sm_1781198146.092771.jpg\",\"datePublished\":\"2026-06-11T16:43:10+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2026-06-11T17:17:07+00:00\",\"author\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/en\/#\/schema\/person\/068c7ab4e9634ae78ec5d54ec46598bb\"},\"description\":\"Somali referee Omar Artan, who was barred from entering the United States to participate in the 2026\",\"breadcrumb\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/en\/policy\/heros-welcome-for-somali-referee-barred-from-2026-world-cup#breadcrumb\"},\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"ReadAction\",\"target\":[\"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/en\/policy\/heros-welcome-for-somali-referee-barred-from-2026-world-cup\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/en\/policy\/heros-welcome-for-somali-referee-barred-from-2026-world-cup#primaryimage\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/static.africa-press.net\/africa-home\/sites\/69\/2026\/06\/sm_1781198146.092771.jpg\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\/\/static.africa-press.net\/africa-home\/sites\/69\/2026\/06\/sm_1781198146.092771.jpg\",\"width\":1280,\"height\":720,\"caption\":\"Hero\u2019S Welcome for Somali Referee Barred from 2026 World Cup\"},{\"@type\":\"BreadcrumbList\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/en\/policy\/heros-welcome-for-somali-referee-barred-from-2026-world-cup#breadcrumb\",\"itemListElement\":[{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":1,\"name\":\"Home\",\"item\":\"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/en\/\"},{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":2,\"name\":\"Hero\u2019S Welcome for Somali Referee Barred from 2026 World Cup\"}]},{\"@type\":\"WebSite\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/en\/#website\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/en\/\",\"name\":\"Africa Press English\",\"description\":\"\u0623\u0648\u0644 \u0645\u0648\u0642\u0639 \u0625\u0641\u0631\u064a\u0642\u064a \u064a\u0643\u062a\u0628 \u0628\u0644\u063a\u0629 \u0628\u0644\u062f\u0627\u0646\u0647\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"SearchAction\",\"target\":{\"@type\":\"EntryPoint\",\"urlTemplate\":\"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/en\/?s={search_term_string}\"},\"query-input\":{\"@type\":\"PropertyValueSpecification\",\"valueRequired\":true,\"valueName\":\"search_term_string\"}}],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\"},{\"@type\":\"Person\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/en\/#\/schema\/person\/068c7ab4e9634ae78ec5d54ec46598bb\",\"name\":\"cfeditoren\"}]}<\/script>\n<!-- \/ Yoast SEO Premium plugin. -->","yoast_head_json":{"title":"Hero\u2019S Welcome for Somali Referee Barred from 2026 World Cup - Africa Press English","description":"Somali referee Omar Artan, who was barred from entering the United States to participate in the 2026","robots":{"index":"index","follow":"follow","max-snippet":"max-snippet:-1","max-image-preview":"max-image-preview:large","max-video-preview":"max-video-preview:-1"},"canonical":"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/en\/policy\/heros-welcome-for-somali-referee-barred-from-2026-world-cup","og_locale":"en_US","og_type":"article","og_title":"Hero\u2019S Welcome for Somali Referee Barred from 2026 World Cup","og_description":"Somali referee Omar Artan, who was barred from entering the United States to participate in the 2026","og_url":"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/en\/policy\/heros-welcome-for-somali-referee-barred-from-2026-world-cup","og_site_name":"Africa Press English","article_published_time":"2026-06-11T16:43:10+00:00","article_modified_time":"2026-06-11T17:17:07+00:00","og_image":[{"width":1280,"height":720,"url":"https:\/\/static.africa-press.net\/africa-home\/sites\/69\/2026\/06\/sm_1781198146.092771.jpg","type":"image\/jpeg"}],"author":"cfeditoren","twitter_card":"summary_large_image","twitter_misc":{"Written by":"cfeditoren","Est. reading time":"6 minutes"},"schema":{"@context":"https:\/\/schema.org","@graph":[{"@type":"Article","@id":"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/en\/policy\/heros-welcome-for-somali-referee-barred-from-2026-world-cup#article","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/en\/policy\/heros-welcome-for-somali-referee-barred-from-2026-world-cup"},"author":{"name":"cfeditoren","@id":"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/en\/#\/schema\/person\/068c7ab4e9634ae78ec5d54ec46598bb"},"headline":"Hero\u2019S Welcome for Somali Referee Barred from 2026 World Cup","datePublished":"2026-06-11T16:43:10+00:00","dateModified":"2026-06-11T17:17:07+00:00","mainEntityOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/en\/policy\/heros-welcome-for-somali-referee-barred-from-2026-world-cup"},"wordCount":1138,"commentCount":0,"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/en\/policy\/heros-welcome-for-somali-referee-barred-from-2026-world-cup#primaryimage"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/static.africa-press.net\/africa-home\/sites\/69\/2026\/06\/sm_1781198146.092771.jpg","keywords":["Africa"],"articleSection":["Policy","Sport"],"inLanguage":"en-US","potentialAction":[{"@type":"CommentAction","name":"Comment","target":["https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/en\/policy\/heros-welcome-for-somali-referee-barred-from-2026-world-cup#respond"]}]},{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/en\/policy\/heros-welcome-for-somali-referee-barred-from-2026-world-cup","url":"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/en\/policy\/heros-welcome-for-somali-referee-barred-from-2026-world-cup","name":"Hero\u2019S Welcome for Somali Referee Barred from 2026 World Cup - Africa Press English","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/en\/#website"},"primaryImageOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/en\/policy\/heros-welcome-for-somali-referee-barred-from-2026-world-cup#primaryimage"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/en\/policy\/heros-welcome-for-somali-referee-barred-from-2026-world-cup#primaryimage"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/static.africa-press.net\/africa-home\/sites\/69\/2026\/06\/sm_1781198146.092771.jpg","datePublished":"2026-06-11T16:43:10+00:00","dateModified":"2026-06-11T17:17:07+00:00","author":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/en\/#\/schema\/person\/068c7ab4e9634ae78ec5d54ec46598bb"},"description":"Somali referee Omar Artan, who was barred from entering the United States to participate in the 2026","breadcrumb":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/en\/policy\/heros-welcome-for-somali-referee-barred-from-2026-world-cup#breadcrumb"},"inLanguage":"en-US","potentialAction":[{"@type":"ReadAction","target":["https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/en\/policy\/heros-welcome-for-somali-referee-barred-from-2026-world-cup"]}]},{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/en\/policy\/heros-welcome-for-somali-referee-barred-from-2026-world-cup#primaryimage","url":"https:\/\/static.africa-press.net\/africa-home\/sites\/69\/2026\/06\/sm_1781198146.092771.jpg","contentUrl":"https:\/\/static.africa-press.net\/africa-home\/sites\/69\/2026\/06\/sm_1781198146.092771.jpg","width":1280,"height":720,"caption":"Hero\u2019S Welcome for Somali Referee Barred from 2026 World Cup"},{"@type":"BreadcrumbList","@id":"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/en\/policy\/heros-welcome-for-somali-referee-barred-from-2026-world-cup#breadcrumb","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"name":"Home","item":"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/en\/"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"name":"Hero\u2019S Welcome for Somali Referee Barred from 2026 World Cup"}]},{"@type":"WebSite","@id":"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/en\/#website","url":"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/en\/","name":"Africa Press English","description":"\u0623\u0648\u0644 \u0645\u0648\u0642\u0639 \u0625\u0641\u0631\u064a\u0642\u064a \u064a\u0643\u062a\u0628 \u0628\u0644\u063a\u0629 \u0628\u0644\u062f\u0627\u0646\u0647","potentialAction":[{"@type":"SearchAction","target":{"@type":"EntryPoint","urlTemplate":"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/en\/?s={search_term_string}"},"query-input":{"@type":"PropertyValueSpecification","valueRequired":true,"valueName":"search_term_string"}}],"inLanguage":"en-US"},{"@type":"Person","@id":"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/en\/#\/schema\/person\/068c7ab4e9634ae78ec5d54ec46598bb","name":"cfeditoren"}]}},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/6796","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/84"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=6796"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/6796\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":6803,"href":"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/6796\/revisions\/6803"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/6794"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=6796"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=6796"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=6796"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}